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[Skyrunner]

Mmm.. Very interesting.

[Cheeetar]

It's not very realistic IMO. I made choices I would've IRL, and wound up too depressed to get out of bad. Meanwhile I'm only mildly depressed IRL. Also, when the hell did talking openly to family help anyone? They're just there to dispense scorn.

IIRC, interactions go best with your family in the game if you don't talk to them openly (such as not explaining to the mother how you feel).

[RedWick]

First play-through and got this ending:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

While you certainly can't say that things over the past few months have been easy, you're almost ready to let yourself believe that the worst parts are behind you. It may be difficult to see past your self loathing on most days, but even so sometimes you can't help but notice that things do seem to be getting better.

One of the more difficult challenges you find yourself having to face on a daily basis is your job. In spite of your attempts at positive thinkingand other cognitive behavioral techniques Dr. Melville taught you, the prospect of going into work every morning still fills you with dread and ennui. Fortunately, you've been able to contain these feelings for the most part, and at least you've been managing your attendance and keeping your job performance up enough that you aren't making things worse by getting into trouble with your boss. Your employment situation may be far from ideal, but for now you're content to punch the clock and collect your paycheck. On some evenings when you've been feeling particularly motivated, you've even caught yourself hunting through online classifieds and bookmarking some new jobs that look interesting. Who knows - you may not be far from taking a leap and trying for something new.

It's been some time since you've hung out with any of your friends in earnest, and now that you feel like you're coming out of the woods you're beginning to feel self-conscious about having alienated them over the past little while. You realize that much of your flakiness and subsequent withdrawal was largely a result of trying to hide from them out of embarrassment. The notion of trusting people with your vulnerabilities is very frightening to you, and in your self-loathing you realize that your behavior did cut them out. Though it will take a huge leap of faith on your part, you resolve to repair your social relationships. You've started sending out casual messages to some of your friends asking to hang out, and for the most part the responses have been more encouraging than you were expecting.

Things with Alex were quite tense for a while. After your conversation with her, she really did seem to be taking a more active role in helping to understand your situation. Even so, the past few months tested the limits of your relationship to the limit. Ultimately, you were able to take her advice and step outside of your own head more and more. It was a difficult thing for you to do; your defense mechanisms ran so deeply that oftentimes you weren't even aware of them, but you let yourself trust her as your partner and your relationship has become much stronger for the experience.

Despite all the clear progress you've made lately, you still carry the weight of your insecurities practically everywhere with you, and you even have some days still where you can't do much at all. On these days, it's very tempting for you to slip back into older, unhealthy habits, but much to your own surprise, you've so far managed to avoid a major backslide. You know that you have a long way to go before you can feel like your life isn't spinning totally out of control, and even when you do you'll never ever be rid of your depression completely, but you have a strong support network and for the first time you can remember you're actually feeling optimistic.

"Things are alright, mom you tell her. While you see her mouth tighten in worry, her eyes soften when she sees you smiling.

I opted to adopt the cat, and declined to take the medication.

[Skyrunner]

I adopted the cat and took the medication. Same result o_O

[Lectorog]

Lesson: Medication never helps with depression. Obviously.
It's all about the cats.

[Korbac]

I think pets help with depression. Basically anything to help fend off the loneliness will help.

[Wrex]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

you've never really thought of yourself as a "fighter," and even to say it now it sounds hokey, but looking back on the past few months to where you are now it really does feel like you've endured an immense struggle, and you look at where you are now with a sense of something that isn't quite pride.

You still hate your job and find it unpleasant, but you're surprised to find that going into work every day is no longer a monumental challenge; you've started adopting some clever techniques, like taking short 2-minutes breaks every hour to break up the monotony, and you now view your job as just 8 short hours of your day, a compartmentalization technique Dr. Melville told you about that you've found actually works quite well. You know this job isn't what you want to do for the rest of your life, and you've started actively looking for other positions, even attending a couple of preliminary interviews.

You've started making effort to go out with your friends more. While the social scene still makes you very uncomfortable sometimes, you're more and more able to let yourself just enjoy the company of your friends. In fact, your relationship with many of them has increased over the past little while. You still definitely have days where you flake out or don't feel up to hanging out, but for the most part your friends are understanding and appreciate your communication.

By far the biggest change you've noticed in your life has been in your relationship with Alex. You were terrified of talking to her about everything at first, but looking back you feel like it's only strengthened your relationship.She was always supportive of you emotionally, but lately the two of you have been even more in sync, and it's really starting to feel like you're building a life together. It even seems like the two of you have been making a more concerted effort to sync up your schedules, and have been spending more and more of your down time with each other; pretty soon you think moving in together may be a very real possibility.

Dr. Melville has commented on how well you seem to be doing, and whether a result of the therapy, the medication, or both, you can't help but agree.

With all that seems to have improved recently, it's sometimes difficult for you to think about the fact that you still have bad days - sometimes even really bad days. They serve as a stark reminder of the fact that this will be something you likely have to deal with for the rest of your life. Depression is a battle, and though you're certainly ahead in the fight, you know the battle isn't ever going to be over. Sometimes even Alex can tell when things are going rough, despite your best efforts to the contrary.

While you know that your depression can never be "cured," you have a very strong support network in your friends and even Malcolm, and armed with a newfound confidence in your friends and family, you accept that though the road may be rocky, it is at very least not solitary.

You meet your mom's gaze from across the table and muster up a smile.

"I'm good, mom, you tell her.

She says nothing, but you can feel her smile from across the room.

Doing all the textbook treatments works just fine, despite all the real life issues assosiated with them. Everything just -goes well- if you do them. I'm laughing on the inside.

[Lectorog]

I think pets help with depression. Basically anything to help fend off the loneliness will help.

Until you realize how long the pet is alone because you have things to do. And you forget to feed it because you've locked yourself in your room with the lights off. And you want to abandon everything but this life is dependent on you.

[Korbac]

I think pets help with depression. Basically anything to help fend off the loneliness will help.

Until you realize how long the pet is alone because you have things to do. And you forget to feed it because you've locked yourself in your room with the lights off. And you want to abandon everything but this life is dependent on you.

Eh, if you've gone that far you're right, the pet won't help. But I think for many people a pet would not only provide companionship but also a reason to live.

[Lectorog]

Man, for me that would just be a reason to feel worse about dying.
I'd feel really bad for taking on a kitten, which is why I didn't in the game. I can barely take care of myself when depressed.

[Reudh]

I found this haunting and confronting. Blimey.